To recapitulate my internship experience, learning & contribution, I would like to say, Learning solely depends on a person that whether we will learn from a small thing or waiting for a bigger one. Whatever it is, learning is in every phase of our each and every work. However, the CSR experience that I have learnt it is worthy to mention that, I was lucky to have a cooperative department and its people who helped me to enhance my knowledge through my regular activities. About the learning part, my initial task is to understand their CSR operations, implementation, alignment with their core values etc. NBL has three dimensions on CSR activities. These activities are completely aligned with their global CSR approach and it gives them a win-win situation. I tried to give some comparisons with two other companies. To some extent it was a challenge to get the other company information. But, overcoming that, I was able to enlighten that NBL needs strategy modification in terms of CSR. Why they need it, I have given also in the findings and recommendations part. They can change the conventional approach of CSR and they should be dynamic to address different other critical social aspects to sort out through CSR. Their existing CSR activities are good enough but again, they can modify it based on country, its people and problem etc. in order to get long term outcome.
Apart from the CSR activities, the Learning opportunity from this department was truly a remarkable one. My department deals with the external side of NBL. For example, apart from CSV, I had to deal with mass media. Any new product launching, or any news that needs press release, I need to cooperate with my manager to select the right medium of communication and appropriate message to deliver through mass media.
The following task was dealing with government affairs. Meet with the high profile person from different ministry, newspapers and television media, set up meeting with them accordingly, choosing a convenient time & place according to everyone's availability, I had to fix those appointment as well. Besides, I need to make profile for whoever is coming or the MD is going to visit. As MD does not know each of them very closely, I had to make profiles of Ministers, media spokesperson etc. so that MD gets an overview for each of them before meeting with them. I have learnt those as well. The next part of learning was preparing internal and external communication guideline. How to communicate within office and outside the office, all the guidelines are prepared by this department.
Page 32 of 34 Another different learning was to deal with negative news about Nestlé. Any of the crises has been dealt through this department. For example, few days back there was news about the Nestlé products in an online newspaper which described that NBL is supplying product without approval of BSTI (Bangladesh Standard and Testing Institute) which is completely wrong news. There are many third parties or different businessmen who brought those products from outside particularly from India, Thailand, China etc. Although they sell those products for their own benefit, but as the product line is from Nestlé, it has negative impact on the society. On those cases Corporate Affair needs to deal with those problems and has to solve that within shortest possible time. I was responsible to go through all the details from the newspaper and as soon as possible I need to translate Bangla news in English for Managing Director.
The latest task that I was assigned by my on-site supervisor is preparing guideline and rules for the new Head office project of Nestlé Bangladesh. There are several issues like change management, blue collars guideline, employee guideline, facilities & limitations etc., changing rules and regulations, visitors rules & regulations etc. So overall, there are different works and learning opportunity in this department.
I have just completed another responsibility which is making internal newsletter. Although previously it is done by the HR department but just one month back the task has been shifted to Corporate Affairs and thus the whole responsibility has been assigned to me starting from content development, designing, organizing, collecting department information, maintaining liaison with the newsletter committee, taking interviews & comments etc. This task remains a pressures one as it is a medium for internal communication and the whole responsibility was given to me. Although I have prepared it but time to time I have crosschecked it with my on-site supervisor for further modification and instructions.
From my point of view, I came to know different corporate cultures, corporate etiquettes, a complete multinational work environment, how it works, maintaining punctuality, rules & regulations, different best practices in a workplace, taking responsibilities, crises management, work alignment with organization's policy, learning from internal & external meetings etc. So to me working with Nestlé, was a great learning opportunity by the grace of Almighty. Overall, Corporate Affairs and Communication which mainly protects the image value of the organization and helps to enhance brand equity time to time or whenever required.
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Conclusion
To conclude, I would like to say that, although there are some drawbacks from CSV side, but again, being nutrition and comparatively new company in Bangladesh, NBL has improved a lot than ever before. Yet, they have many things to do in future which I have already mentioned. But as they are committed to the society and its people, hopefully with the passage of seconds, they will modify their strategy as well. Thus, their action and implementation will help them to be the world’s most trustworthy company in terms of nutrition, health and wellness.
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References
Internal Documents:
1. Brands and Creating Shared Value Communications Standard.
2. The Nestlé Corporate Communication Platform (Themes & Issues).
3. Creating Shared Value Summit by Mr. Peter Breback Letmathe, Chairman of Nestlé.
4. Nestlé Creating Shared Value Factsheet External Reference: 1. www.pranfoods.net 2. www.gsk.com.bd 3. www.investopedia.com(http://www.investopedia.com/terms/c/corp-socialresponsibility.asp). 4. http://www.csr-asia.com/report/report_future_of_csr.pdf Interviews:
1. Md. Naquib Khan, Director, Corporate Affairs & Communications, Nestlé Bangladesh Limited.
2. Mr. Mirza Hossain, Sr. Manager, Corporate Affairs, Nestlé Bangladesh Limited.
3. Farah Sharmeen Aolad, Manager, Corporate Communications, Nestlé Bangladesh Limited.
Bibliography
Chowdhury, S. K. (2014). Policy Support to CSR in the Context of Tax Exemption for the Banking Sector. Miah, P. D. (2006). Dynamics of Corporate Social Responsibility – Bangladesh Context.
Appendix
1. NBL- Nestlé Bangladesh Limited
2. GSK- GlaxoSmithKline
3. CSR- Corporate Social Responsibility
4. CSV- Creating Shared Value